Lending An Ear
by wikelia
Summary: Zephyr talked. She babbled like there was no tomorrow, like they understood her. So of course, Hiccup talked to her like he did. Oneshot.


Zephyr was unlike many other babies Hiccup had seen on the island - at first, he simply guessed she was just more awesome than all the others, which Astrid elbowed him for saying in public.

But he realized there was something else. Zephyr talked. She babbled like there was no tomorrow, like they understood her.

So of course, Hiccup talked to her like he did.

"Agroooo…"

"Yes, I agree." He held her in one arm as they went inside their hut, looking for a certain map that was going to be difficult to find because he hadn't organized his desk in days. "Tell me something I don't know, Zeph."

"Aba!"

"Yes?" he murmured, shuffling through papers with one hand as she reached up to touch his cheek. "Aba" was what she called him - him and Astrid suspected she was trying to say "Papa."

"Aba!" she said again, more insistently.

Hiccup blew a cherry on her cheek. "I'm listening! You're quite needy, you know."

Zephyr giggled, looking perfectly pleased with herself as she grabbed his nose. Hiccup pretended to gasp in pain, abandoning his search to hold her with both hands and toss her up in the air.

"Treason! How dare you attack your chief?"

Zephyr's small laugh was like music to his ears, as was the tight grip she kept on him once she was back in his arms. "Brumkaa!"

"That's what I've been saying too, no one's listening. Now you, you're one smart cookie, you should be on my council. I promote you to my council. You'll be the only baby with a job."

She looked content enough with his offer. Hiccup smiled down at her - after losing so, so much he didn't think that anyone besides Astrid would ever make him truly, freely happy.

Until he held Zephyr for the first time. Until she smiled her gummy smile, and until she let out her first cry of "Aba!" when he was tickling her. Until he fell in love with every word she said because she was perfect in every way.

Hiccup sat down on his chair with her on his lap, grinning widely when she automatically rested her head on his shoulder. Who knew that such a simple act could give someone such a rush?

"You're the cutest baby in the world, you know." He hummed, kissing the top of her head. "Your mama may not want me saying it in front of everyone, but it's true."

Zephyr's head perked up. "Mama?"

"Is the meanest person in the world, yes. And you need to memorize all that so it can be your first sentence."

"Stop corrupting my daughter." Astrid walked in and closed the door behind her. Seeing her, Zephyr clapped her hands - another quirk of her's that Hiccup loved.

"Agadaba."

"Agadaba to you too." Astrid reached out her arms and Zephyr went to her easily, making her father pout at the betrayal. "You're going to conk out soon, aren't you?"

Zephyr grinned cheekily, which Hiccup knew she got from him, as she gripped Astrid's fur hood. "Mamaaaaa…"

"She's a charmer, Ast. Like me, it runs in the Haddock family."

Astrid grinned teasingly. "Charmer, huh? Well, my charming chief, Zeph needs to eat before her nap so her Hofferson bones will grow strong."

"Are her bones the only Hofferson part of her?" He stood up and placed a kiss on Astrid's cheek. "Because I'm totally fine with that."

She leaned her head towards him, resting it on his shoulder as she rocked Zephyr in her arms gently. "And those two beautiful blue eyes as well."

"Oh, yes," he mumbled softly, stroking Zephyr's cheek, "How could I forget? I've been falling in love with those blue eyes for years."

Astrid laughed, pulling away just as he had grabbed her waist. "Oh, you're so cheesy! Tell your father he's the cheesiest man alive, Zeph."

Their eyes both fell down to where she was watching with rapt attention, her eyes wide and her jaw open as though she was watching a dragon racing event.

"Tell your mother she's the meanest viking to ever live."

He loved Astrid Hofferson so much.

"Tell your father that the reason he can't find that map on his desk is because it's on our bed!"

"Tell your mother I hope that we didn't sleep on the map."

"Tell your father that that's only one piece of the crap that gets beneath us."

"Zeph, tell your mother to watch your language in front of you!"

Zephyr, who was getting discombobulated as both her parents gave her instructions, simply let out a cross, "Aba!" as she waved her hand towards her father.

Astrid smirked victoriously. 'I think that's a win for me. She clearly loves me more."

"False." Hiccup offered his arms out and Zephyr came into them with her hands finding the chief's cape to clutch on to. "You love Papa more, don't you?"

Her response was to spit up a little, patting his shoulder. He brought the collar of his shirt to wipe it off, grinning at her. "That was an agreement, Astrid."

"Oh, does spitting mean that she agrees?"

"Duh, that's only the first thing we learn in Zephirian."

Astrid kissed Zephyr's cheek and whispered, "Don't tell anyone I said this, but you really are the cutest baby in the world."

Zephyr yawned as both Hiccup and Astrid let out similar coos. "That was a big one, she really is about to conk out."

"Here, I'll feed her and you get that map because no one is out watching the village at the moment."

"And here I thought you left it in Ack's capable hands," he quipped, handing over his daughter before going upstairs to retrieve the map from their bed. As Astrid had said, it really was lying there and they really had slept on top of it. He really needed to clean up.

When he went back downstairs, Astrid was leaning back at their dinner table as she breastfed Zephyr. Hiccup placed the map on the table and leaned down to kiss her hair from behind the chair, sighing. "Call me cheesy all you want - you like it - but you are incredible, you know."

"I know." Astrid smiled, turning her head to kiss his hand. "So are you. So is she."

"Well, she outranks both of us."

"That's something we can agree on." Astrid looked down at Zephyr with admiration as she drank, letting out a simultaneous sigh with her husband. "You should go."

"I'll see you soon." Hiccup kissed her cheek and winked at Zephyr before leaving the hut.

That was all he needed, really. Now he could listen to Sven's complaints and the twins' rambling and Phlegma's concerns, as long as he thought about Astrid and Zephyr, and the next time he would see them.

That was what got him through the day, and he was okay with that. Because honestly, as Zephyr would say, "Brumkaa!"

**It's been a long time since I've written tooth-rotting meaningless fluff, but I really liked this. The babies give me so many feels. Hope you guys like it!**


End file.
